Army Links Improved South-East Security To Jailing Of Kanu, Ekpa

The Nigerian Army has declared that security in the South-East has “significantly” improved, crediting the gains to sustained military operations and the imprisonment of separatist leaders Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and Simon Ekpa.​ The military says the measures have curtailed violent attacks on security personnel and civilians, reversing what was once a troubling escalation of killings, arson and armed robbery in the region.​

Addressing journalists on the state of security, a senior commander, Major General Michael Onoja, said troops have “substantially degraded” the capacity of armed cells linked to the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its violent offshoots.​ He noted that the region, which saw a sharp spike in targeted attacks in previous years, has begun to experience a decline in incidents as security forces tightened their hold on known flashpoints.​

Kanu’s detention and Ekpa’s jailing

Onoja specifically pointed to the continued detention of IPOB leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in Abuja and the recent jailing of Simon Ekpa in Finland as decisive factors in disrupting command-and-control of violent networks in the South-East.​ Kanu has been in the custody of Nigerian authorities on terrorism-related and other charges, while his supporters have for years pressed for his release amid recurring clashes between security forces and armed groups in the region.​

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In September 2025, a Finnish court in the Päijät-Häme District sentenced Simon Ekpa to six years in prison after finding him guilty of terrorism-related offences, aggravated tax fraud and violations of the Lawyers Act, including inciting violence in Nigeria through online broadcasts.​​ The judgment, welcomed by the Nigerian government as a “significant judicial milestone,” ordered that Ekpa remain in custody, a step Abuja says has curtailed the reach of separatist propaganda and operational guidance from abroad.​

Drop in attacks and changing tactics

According to Onoja, the military’s latest assessment shows a notable reduction in kidnappings, armed attacks on highways and assaults on security formations in the South-East over the past year.​ He explained that armed groups previously exploited gaps at lightly manned checkpoints and remote security outposts, killing personnel and carting away weapons later used to prosecute further terror attacks in the region.​

He said the combination of leadership decapitation, intelligence-led raids and reinforced deployments has disrupted those patterns, forcing remnants of the networks into disarray.​ Independent studies and international briefs have similarly noted that while banditry and communal violence have escalated in other parts of Nigeria, security trends in the South-East reflect both continued separatist activity and intensified state responses.​

Ongoing operations and civil-military posture

The Army stressed that ongoing operations in the South-East will be sustained to consolidate recent gains, protect lives and property and prevent criminal elements from regrouping under new guises.​ Commanders have been directed to deepen collaboration with sister security agencies, improve intelligence gathering and strengthen community engagement to avoid indiscriminate actions that could alienate local populations.​

Security analysts and rights advocates have repeatedly urged the government to balance kinetic action with dialogue and socio-economic interventions to address grievances that fuel separatist sentiments.​ Recent research on human security in the South-East warns that while military pressure can reduce attacks, long-term stability will require political engagement, economic inclusion and justice for victims of abuses on all sides.​